Michael S. LibermanItaly and Greece Day 4: Venice to Florence
July 5, 2024
Breakfast is at the hotel. I’m not a breakfast person. At all. But I’m not complaining about starting the day with a fresh-baked croissant, a little fruit salad, and a few slices of absolutely amazing tomatoes!!
At 8a we check out and board the bus for the 90-minute ride to Verona as we make our way to Florence later this afternoon.
We’re in Verona for a few hours. Tourist busses have to park outside of the city so we get a lot of walking in to see Castelvecchio (the old fort), the Romeo and Juliet balcony at Casa di Giulietta from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and the Arena di Verona Roman amphitheater.
Verona, Italy • 45°26’25.31″ N 10°59’14.49″ E
Nikon Z8 • NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR at 28 mm • ISO 280 • 1/500 sec at f/5.6
Verona, Italy • 45°26’31.11″ N 10°59’54.42″ E
Nikon Z8 • NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR at 28 mm • ISO 450 • 1/500 sec at f/5.6
Verona, Italy • 45°26’21.51″ N 10°59’35.00″ E
Nikon Z8 • NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR at 28 mm • ISO 90 • 1/500 sec at f/5.6
At 12p we’re back on the bus continuing on the way to Florence. I’ve written about this before, but I really don’t mind time on the bus. It’s a good time to download some pictures from the first part of the day, update my calendar with the places we visited, and a chance to work on the day’s blog post. And it’s a great chance just to look out the window and enjoy the passing countryside. I’m never bored on the bus. I’ve always got something to do. And I’m in a place I’ve never been before. I’m soaking it all in!
We stop for lunch at an Eataly x Autogrill and then we’re back on the road. But it’s a long haul to Florence with bumper to bumper traffic like it’s the Capital Beltway in DC. After a while the traffic eases and the terrain changes as we move from the coastal flatlands to the more mountainous area of Tuscany around Florence. The landscape is stunning and punctuated by many very long tunnels. I missed the landscape pic and settled for the tunnel instead.
Metropolitan City of Florence, Italy • 43°55’56.27″ N 11°13’25.62″ E
Nikon Z8 • NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR at 155 mm • ISO 8000 • 1/80 sec at f/7.6
We get to Florence a little after 5p. We check into our hotel, check out the local super market for supplies, and then make the walk to the historic center of Florence for dinner. Bianca says it’s a 10 minutes walk. It takes us 30 minutes!
Firenze, Italy • 43°46’13.94″ N 11°15’32.20″ E
iPhone 12 mini back camera 4.2mm f/1.6 • ISO 250 • 1/50 sec at f/1.6
Really, really hungry by the time we get to Ristorante Rubaconte. And the pizza dinner is incredible and well worth the walk. Also, Tiramisu!!
Tomorrow we explore Florence!
Did you and your travel group organize, plan and book this trip yourselves or did you use a travel agency? This sounds fantastic
Our group is led by a retired educator. He plans, organizes and works with an educational travel company to make these happen. I’ve done 10 or so trips with this group over the past 15 years.
I always seem to miss the landscape photos from the train or car and typically get a telephone or big tree blocking the view instead 😆
Same thing happens to me! I try and delete them as I go. Window reflections is another problem. I’ve used a polarizing filter in the past to eliminate or reduce reflections, but on this trip it’s not really working. Might have something to do with the windows on the bus. However, our bus driver, Antonio, is doing a great job keeping the bus windows clean!